Targa Florio 1955
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The 39th Targa Florio , also Targa Florio, Piccolo Circuito delle Madonie, Sicilia , took place on October 16, 1955. The race was the sixth and final round of the sports car world championship this year.
Before the race
When the sports car world championship was introduced in 1953 and the Targa Florio was not part of this competition, the anger of Vincenzo Florio , the leader of the event, was great. The CSI had decided for the Mille Miglia and against the race in Sicily. Also in 1954 the race was not part of the world championship, which again had a negative effect on the number of participants. Only 36 vehicles were left at the start; With the exception of the Frenchman Robert Manzon, only Italian drivers were led by the winner Piero Taruffi in the Lancia D24 . The turning point came in 1955. Again six world championship races were planned and the Mille Miglia was again the Italian championship race. The Carrera Panamericana , which was driven on public roads in Mexico , was also on the racing calendar . But the race, which had only existed since 1950 , had fallen into disrepute due to the large number of fatalities. Among others, Felice Bonetto had a fatal accident in 1953 and six people, including four race participants, died in 1954 . The organizers were no longer able to raise the necessary financial resources for the event. The race had to be canceled in July.
Florio then contacted the CSI and was finally awarded the race, but had to postpone the event to October. In order to achieve the prescribed 1000 km distance, the number of laps had to be increased to 14. It quickly became clear, however, that this meant a journey time of almost ten hours; a circumstance that was considered too dangerous for the licensed touring cars and their drivers. The organizers received a special permit and were able to make do with 13 laps and a distance of 936 km.
After five championship races, Ferrari was just ahead of Daimler-Benz AG in the world championship , although the Italian brand only won the season opening race, the 1000 km race in Buenos Aires . The superior cars of the year were the Jaguar D-Type and the Mercedes-Benz 300SLR . The Board of Management of Daimler-Benz AG had already decided and announced before the race in Sicily that the German company would withdraw completely from motorsport at the end of the year. After Juan Manuel Fangio's victory in the Formula 1 World Championship , Mercedes also wanted to achieve overall victory in the sports car. Nevertheless, Florio was not sure that the Mercedes team would participate and sent two telegrams to racing manager Alfred Neubauer , who finally agreed in writing.
The race
The Mercedes team came with three works and various training cars three weeks before the race to prepare for the race track. Factory driver Stirling Moss was the last to join the team from his vacation on the Italian Riviera . Neubauer developed a racing strategy for the three cars. After the fifth and the tenth lap, fuel and tire stops were planned. Stirling Moss and his team-mate Peter Collins should drive for victory at the highest possible pace right from the start. Fangio and Karl Kling should definitely cross the finish line. John Fitch and Desmond Titterington were considered strategic reserves who should drive on hold. The greatest opposition from Mercedes grew out of the factory Maseratis and the Ferrari 860 Monza by Eugenio Castellotti and Robert Manzon.
From start to finish, the race was a duel between the two British Mercedes drivers Moss and Collins and the Ferrari of Castellotti and Manzon. Moss led away from the start and achieved one record time after the other when he went off track on the fourth lap and only got the slightly damaged car to drive again after a while. After repairs to the pits, Moss and Collins started a race to catch up which brought them back into the lead on the eleventh lap. Just behind was Castellotti's Ferrari, which also had a minor accident on the last lap after the car had not started again for a long time. As a result, Fangio and Kling achieved second place. For Daimler-Benz AG, the double victory also meant overall victory in the world championship.
Results
Final ranking
Item | class | No. | team | driver | vehicle | Round | ||
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1 | S + 2.0 | 104 |
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Mercedes-Benz 300SLR | 13 | ||
2 | S + 2.0 | 112 |
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Mercedes-Benz 300SLR | 13 | ||
3 | S + 2.0 | 116 |
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Ferrari 860 Monza | 13 | ||
4th | S + 2.0 | 106 |
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Mercedes-Benz 300SLR | 13 | ||
5 | S 2.0 | 76 |
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Maserati A6GCS | 13 | ||
6th | S 2.0 | 82 |
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Maserati A6GCS | 13 | ||
7th | S 1.5 | 64 |
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Osca MT4 1500 | 13 | ||
8th | S 2.0 | 78 |
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Maserati A6GCS | 13 | ||
9 | S 2.0 | 92 |
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Maserati A6GCS / 53 | 13 | ||
10 | S 2.0 | 84 |
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Maserati A6GCS | 12 | |||
11 | TS + 1.3 | 6th |
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Fiat 8V Zagato | 12 | |||
12 | S 2.0 | 72 |
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Maserati A6GCS | 12 | |||
13 | TS + 1.3 | 4th |
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Fiat 8V | 12 | |||
14th | S 1.1 | 42 |
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Osca MT4 1100 | 12 | ||
15th | GT | 36 |
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Fiat 8V Zagato | 12 | |||
16 | S 2.0 | 88 |
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Alfa Romeo 1900 | 11 | |||
17th | S 2.0 | 86 |
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Maserati A6GCS | 11 | |||
18th | GT | 52 |
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Renault 4CV | 11 | |||
19th | S 2.0 | 70 |
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Maserati A6GCS | 11 | |||
20th | TS + 1.3 | 20th |
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Lancia Aurelia | 11 | |||
Failed | ||||||||
21st | GT | 16 |
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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL | 12 | |||
22nd | GT | 30th |
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Fiat 8V | 11 | |||
23 | S + 2.0 | 120 |
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Ferrari 750 Monza | 10 | ||
24 | S + 2.0 | 100 |
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Ferrari 750 Monza | 9 | |||
25th | TS + 1.3 | 12 |
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Alfa Romeo 1900TI | 8th | |||
26th | S 1.1 | 56 |
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Kieft | 8th | |||
27 | GT | 22nd |
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Lancia Aurelia | 7th | |||
28 | S 2.0 | 74 |
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Ferrari 500 Mondial | 7th | |||
29 | S 1.1 | 40 |
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Siata 1100GT | 6th | |||
30th | S 1.1 | 54 |
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Osca MT4 1100 | 6th | |||
31 | S 1.5 | 62 |
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Ermini | 6th | |||
32 | S + 2.0 | 102 |
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Gordini T24S | 6th | ||
33 | GT | 24 |
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Jaguar XK120 | 5 | |||
34 | S 1.1 | 48 |
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Cisitalia 202 | 5 | |||
35 | S + 2.0 | 110 |
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Ferrari 750 Monza | 5 | ||
36 | TS + 1.3 | 10 |
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Alfa Romeo 1900TI | 4th | |||
37 | GT | 28 |
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Lancia Aurelia | 4th | |||
38 | GT | 94 |
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Maserati 150S 2.0 | 4th | ||
39 | S + 2.0 | 118 |
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Maserati 300S | 4th | ||
40 | TS + 1.3 | 2 |
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Alfa Romeo 1900TI | 2 | |||
41 | TS + 1.3 | 14th |
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Peugeot 403 | 2 | |||
42 | S 1.1 | 38 |
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Siata 1100GT | 2 | |||
43 | S 1.1 | 44 |
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Stanguellini Bialbero | 2 | |||
44 | S 1.1 | 58 |
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Stanguellini Bialbero | 2 | |||
45 | GT | 32 |
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Lancia Aurelia | 1 | |||
46 | S 2.0 | 80 |
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Lotus Mark VIII | 1 | |||
47 | S 2.0 | 90 |
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Maserati 200S | 1 | ||
Not started | ||||||||
48 | TS + 1.3 | 8th |
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Alfa Romeo 1900TI | 1 | |||
49 | GT | 18th |
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Alfa Romeo Giulietta | 2 | |||
50 | GT | 26th |
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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL | 3 | |||
51 | GT | 34 |
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Fiat 8V | 4th | |||
52 | S 1.1 | 46 |
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Ermini | 5 | |||
53 | S 1.1 | 50 |
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Giaur | 6th | |||
54 | S 1.5 | 60 |
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Porsche 550 | 7th | |||
55 | S 1.5 | 66 |
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Osca MT4 | 8th | |||
56 | S 2.0 | 96 |
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Maserati A6GCS | 9 | |||
56 | S + 2.0 | 98 |
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Talbot-Lago Sport | 10 | |||
57 | S + 2.0 | 108 |
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Ferrari 750 Monza | 11 | |||
58 | S + 2.0 | 114 |
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Ferrari 750 Monza | 12 | |||
59 | GT | T |
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Mercedes-Benz 190 SL | 13 | ||
60 | GT | T |
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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL | 14th | ||
61 | GT | T |
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Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR | 15th | ||
62 | GT | T |
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Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR | 16 | ||
63 | TS + 1.3 | T |
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Mercedes-Benz 220 | 17th |
1 not started 2 not started 3 not started 4 not started 5 not started 6 not started 7 not started 8 not started 9 not started 10 not started 11 not started 12 not started 13 training trolley 14 training trolley 15 training trolley 16 training trolley 17 training trolley
Only in the entry list
Here you will find teams, drivers and vehicles that were originally registered for the race but did not take part for a variety of reasons.
Item | class | No. | team | driver | chassis |
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64 | S 1.5 | 68 |
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Porsche 550 |
Class winner
Racing data
- Registered: 64
- Started: 47
- Rated: 20
- Race classes: 6
- Spectator: unknown
- Race day weather: warm and dry
- Route length: 72,000 km
- Driving time of the winning team: 9: 43: 14,000 hours
- Overall laps of the winning team: 13
- Total distance of the winning team: 936,000 km
- Winner's average: 96.291 km / h
- Pole position: none
- Fastest race lap: Stirling Moss - Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR (# 104) - 43: 07.200 = 100.178 km / h
- Racing series: Round 6 of the 1955 World Sports Car Championship
literature
- Alain Bienvenu: Endurance. 50 ans d'histoire. Volume 1: 1953-1964. Éditions ETAI, Boulogne-Billancourt 2004, ISBN 2-7268-9327-9 .
- Peter Higham: The Guinness Guide to International Motor Racing. A complete Reference from Formula 1 to Touring Car. Guinness Publishing Ltd., London 1995, ISBN 0-85112-642-1 .
- Pino Fondi: Targa Florio - 20th Century Epic. Giorgio Nada Editore Vimodrone 2006, ISBN 88-7911-270-8 .
Web links
Predecessor race RAC Tourist Trophy 1955 |
Sports car world championship |
Successor to the 1000 km race in Buenos Aires 1956 |